Recipe: Chorizo Cauliflower Rice

Food is a big part of our family life. We spend a considerable amount of time not just eating, but talking about food and planning our next meal! At the start of this year I decided to switch to a low carb way of eating. Although I initially starting eating this way to lose weight for our wedding, the health benefits have been so noticeable that I have decided to keep it up, albeit a bit less strictly. I now aim to eat low carb 80% of the time (a girl needs her wine and chocolate fixes after all) and so some, but not all, of the recipes I share here will be low carb.

Thanks to diets such as Atkins and Dukan there is a perception that low carbers are riddled with scurvy and clogged arteries and live on a diet of three Full English fry ups a day. Sustainable low carb eating involves not only a substantial amount of fruit and veg, but realistic alternatives to pasta, rice and other high carb staples. One of the most surprising low carb finds for me has been cauliflower and its versatility. I absolutely love cauliflower rice and this is my recipe where I jazz it up with some chorizo and veg.

INGREDIENTS:

one medium cauliflower (the fresher the better as cauliflower on the turn can develop a strong and bitter taste)
coconut oil (or any other cooking oil)
packet of cooking chorizo
whatever stir frying veg you have at home. I used onion, garlic, courgette, green beans, celery, mushrooms and plum tomatoes

RECIPE:

1. After removing the leaves and stalks, wash the cauliflower and pat dry.

2. Cut it into chunks and add to a food processor. It is best not to fill the processor more than half full so it might take 2 or 3 goes to get through the entire head of cauliflower.

3. Blitz the chunks in 2 second bursts until they are broken down into very small pieces.

4. This is the consistency which you should be aiming for. If you over-blitz the cauliflower you will end up with purée!

5. A medium cauliflower will give you enough rice for 5-6 people. If you are not using it all you can whack it in the fridge and it keeps for a few days.

6. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil (or any other cooking oil) in a pan and add the chopped onions and garlic. When the onions have browned add the chopped chorizo sausages and any other vegetables (except the tomatoes) and cook for approx 10 minutes.

7. Add the tomatoes for the last 4-5 minutes of cooking.

8. Meanwhile heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in another pan. Add the cauliflower rice and fry for approx 5 minutes.